Abby Franquemont of Abby’s Yarns

Abby Franquemont of Abby’s Yarns was the guest today on Yarn Thing with Marly Bird, and it was a fun and intelligent conversation.

To begin with, Abby’s parents were anthropologists with interest in textiles and moved when she was a child to Peru to study. A fond memory for her was falling asleep under her father’s loom. Living in a spinning and weaving community, where all of her peers also did weaving and spinning, it was natural for her to pursue fiber arts as well. As a teenager, of course, she wanted nothing to do with it but thought she would be a musician then with computers. Found later that what she’d learned as a child, many crafts begin with yarn, Knitting, Crocheting, Weaving, and spinning is how you GET yarn; and there’s always more out there! IT’S A YARN THING!

She says, ten or twelve years ago, there wasn’t as much out there as options for purchasing yarn. She became what she calls Professional Yarn Dork, dividing her time between production, teaching and other business activities. Traveling to teach, too, fills a lot of her time and she will be going to Norway, Rhinebeck and SAFF later this year, teaching spinning with some weaving. When someone wonders why yarn ‘didn’t work’, Abby says a little bit of spinning knowledge or effort can either make us understand what can be done with a skein, or how to make that beautiful skein work how you would hope. Sometimes those discoveries just don’t become apparent until they are put to needles or hooks.

An interesting discussion here was that some Yarn Shops hesitate to offer spinning classes for fear that those students will cease to by yarn. Abby’s answer is to compare with cooking, that just because you can cook doesn’t mean that you’ll never eat out again. Later she said, the POTENTIAL of the yarn in your shopping bag, or sitting on your desk, even before you started working on it, is like the food in your cupboards and fridge. She herself appreciates the yarns that are available, perhaps with a bit more understanding. Having multiple yarn projects and it’s benefits, was also discussed, so that you always have something in case of emergencies and teaching opportunities.

We also heard here a lot of interesting things about the history of fiber:

how textile creation became the basis for computer programming based on the punchcard technology used to create jaquard, was shared by Abby, who learned this from her dad who would speak at MIT about this.

Gandhi’s spinning for the good of his countrymen, for industry also on a personal level, to be patient with the world situation, even requiring his cabinet to start their day with spinning.

More information from Abby can be found at her WEBSITE and she is also on Facebook, so knowing if she will be at your next local event would be easier to find! Her YouTube channel was mentioned (I got sidetracked there!) and her book Respect the Spindle (Amazon Link). Because, as her tagline says, ‘One way or another, it’s all about Yarn.’

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Comments

I did not want this podcast to end today…fascinating! Abby brought out some very interesting tidbits. Applesauce?..really?…I like the homemade kind best. I am a spinner wannabe and am even more determined to learn now. Thank you.

Hearing about her falling asleep under her father loom reminded me of helping my great-grandma loom rag rugs. My first fiber experience! and i remember helping my mom make applesauce, or fired apples as they are called here in KY.

I am interested in learning to spin, but like Marly I’m not sure I want to go down that rabbit hole! Your interview with Abby has pushed me to the edge of that hole and maybe even tipped me in! Winning Abby’s Learn to Spin kit would definitely finish the job! I loved Abby’s comments about healthy, locally grown foods and other eco-friendly and human rights related topics. I bet she makes excellent homemade applesauce!!

Wow, wow, wow. What an enjoyable episode! After listening to this conversation, I just want to hang out with Abby and Marly. Abby sounds like she’s comfortable talking about pretty much anything. Talking with Marly, of course, is like talking with your best friend. I don’t know, maybe we can all get together for drinks, coffee, or applesauce some time? I was especially interested in the turn towards history, science, and engineering the conversation took for the second half. When I first started knitting almost three years ago, it was the math and engineering I saw in knitted items before I saw the art. It’s still that way for me, and that’s one of the things I absolutely love about knitting — they way it combines both science and art. Being reminded how modern-day computing has its roots in automated weaving looms was a good reminder for me. Thank you both so much for such an enjoyable episode!

What a week! The best ever with Amy Herzog and Abby Franquenot. Really both shows excellent, full of fascinating info. I always wanted to spin but I too am afraid of the rabbit hole. There is never enough time to knit as it is. Love this podcast, here is to applesauce!!!

I would love to learn to spin! In fact, I recently bought some beautiful yarn at a farmer’s market and I was told by the yarn vendor that there is a way to make my own spindle using CO’S just to check it out to see if I like spindle spinning. I was told to just Google it! Well, making a spindle with a CD, would be like making yarn out of applesauce. Not for me.
I so enjoyed the podcast again today! Thank you

What an informative podcast with Abby Franquemont! You both were so much fun to listen to. Abby is so knowledgeable about so many things and your interview went so many places. I am very interested in learning how to spin. I have currently done a little spindle spinning and am saving up to purchase a spinning wheel. . . . so I am already going down that rabbit hole!
I would love to listen to both of you continue to talk over coffee and applesauce :o))
Great podcast! Thanks.

Great podcast! I’ve been a fan of Abby’s for several years and credit her with the insane amount of yarn I spin on a weekly basis. Learning to spin has added a lot to my life and has led me to weave as well. Maybe I should learn to make applesauce, since it seems to be a popular thing around here! Cheers!

I thoroughly enjoyed this podcast with Abby Franquemont! I haven’t used my spinning wheel in ages and after listening to Abby, I think I am going to pull it out again get spinning again. But first, I am going to go make some applesauce!!

This was the my first time listening to your podcast. I was blown away with your wonderful exchange with your guest Abby. I love it! I will be listening again. I’m from Alaska by the way. Your podcast reminds me of applesauce. A little bit of tartness, a splash of sweet, and lots of texture in the mixture. Totally Crackin!

What a fantastic podcast. I enjoyed hearing about the relationships between spinning and fiber arts and our evolution to computers and programming. Wow! I also try to eat local and grow a garden, and my barn houses Shetland sheep, cashmere goats and Angora goats. I had not considered the thought of reducing our carbon footprint by using locally grown fiber. I’m so happy thinking about applesauce (fiber…haha) from our orchard in our stomachs and our homegrown family farm fiber slipping through my fingers as I spin and create items for my family and friends.

I will take it as a sign from the universe that I should start spinning if this gift lands in my lap. I have teetered on the edge of this rabbit hole for a while. So many people who spin well reference Abby as the source of their knowledge. The two of you had such depth and breadth in your discussions during your chat. If you had had time to go on longer, I bet one of you would have shared your favorite recipe for applesauce.

I loooove all the podcsats thus far but I must admit this one is my fav! I just LOOOOOOOOOVE it when you get into the math, science and history of the fibre world! I really hope you are able to do more shows like this one…FUN! FUN! FUN! ( Yes, I’m a big nerd ;p)

What a lovely episode! Probably one of my favorites, if not my favorite, of your podcast, Marly. The discussion about textile tech was fascinating and really taught me a lot. I’ve just recently decided that I’d like to learn to spin, so to win the prize for this episode would be awesomesauce … or applesauce, as the case may be 🙂

I would LOVE to learn how to spin one of these days. I can imagine I could not spin though and eat my applesauce as it would get to messy for me. I know!!! I could make applesauce cookies…. no…don’t think that would work either. Love the podcast!

I have never thought about learning to spin, but I do love the feel of the yarn going through my fingers when I crochet and knit. After listening to Abby, she has given me the thought of maybe trying it one day. Then I could enjoy a cold cup of applesauce. Great podcast!